Eight Weeks (Unfrozen Four Book 2)

“no one ever makes me feel like you do when you smile”—Nobody Compares by One Direction

I didn’t think I’d be back at the dorms any time soon. At least not by the time I helped Sofia move in here. Now, I cannot deny I would be back here all day every day if that meant I could see my girlfriend.

Unfortunately, Winter is also here, and I just bet everyone in the building can hear because this woman is screaming so loudly, I can hear it the second I exit my car.

This is bad. Really bad.

Storming inside the building, I almost reach their room in no time. Must be my new record, for sure.

I bang on the door, waiting for someone to open it. I’m more or less surprised when Winter opens the door instead of Sofia, but I couldn’t care less anyway. Someone opened the door, that’s all I needed to get inside.

“What the hell are you screaming for?” I ask Winter, walking inside the room without asking for permission. I have my girlfriend’s, that’s enough.

“Well, if you didn’t bring your new fuck buddy into the same room as me, maybe I wouldn’t be yelling,” Winter answers, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “She’s not my fuck buddy.”

“Well, have you told her that? Because she insists you are together which would be totally absurd.”

Seriously, how could I ever think Winter was a good fill-in for the void in my heart? She isn’t. Yeah, sex with her was great, but the couple of months we’ve been in a relationship…? How did I survive those?

“You’re not dating her, are you, Aaron?” Winter’s hands are now on her hips, her chest pushed out like she’s trying to stand her ground, being the dominant person.

“I am.”

“What the fuck, Aaron!” I can hear a door open, which must be Sofia’s then, clearly having heard Winter talking to me. “You told me you weren’t going to start anything.”

“I never said that.” Maybe in her dreams, but I know for sure those words would have never left my mouth, ever.

Winter could have promised me a million dollars and I still would have stood with my hopes; if there is a chance for me to be with Sofia, I will jump on it.

“Sure you did. Remember the bet we made? When I said you wouldn’t be able to hook up with Sofia without catching feelings.” Her eyebrows rise as the smuggest smile known to humanity appears on her lips. “When she moved in here, remember that? We talked in my room, and we started this bet.”

I exhale deeply, bringing both of my hands to either side of my head, rubbing my temples. I spot Sofia standing in the door to the living room, leaning against the frame. Her eyes are on me, and for once I have no idea what she is thinking.

Does she believe Winter? I sure hope she doesn’t because none of the shit she is saying is remotely true.

“You threw your stuff at me, Winter.” I swear to everything holy, if Winter is going to be the reason Sofia and I will break up, she can go find herself a cozy coffin to spend all of eternity in. “Don’t make up a ridiculous lie because you don’t like seeing me with someone that isn’t you.”

“I am not lying!”

“Fuck this, Winter.” I storm past her, grasping my girlfriend’s hand in mine and pulling her back into her own bedroom.

Sofia closes the door as I let go of her hand and make my way over to her bed, needing to take a seat and just breathe for a second.

This is why I don’t do girlfriends or fuck buddies. Hookups, sure, it’s one time and forgotten, but everything that goes beyond that… I should have never even entertained Winter’s ridiculous friends with benefits proposal years ago. Worst decision I have ever made in my entire life.

“Sofia, I swear to you, I have never made any bets with Winter,” I finally say when she walks over to me, her arms finding around my neck when she takes a seat on my lap instead of the bed space next to me.

She lifts my face to hers, smiling. “I am not going to discuss this with you, Aaron.”

“But—”

Sofia shakes her head, covering my mouth with her hand. “I do not believe a word she says. And I’d be surprised if you had a bet with her going about not catching feelings for me, because you lost that one at the age of eight.”

My arms sneak around her waist, pulling her so close to me, I fear I might squeeze her to death, but she isn’t complaining, so I don’t bother losing my grip.

In a moment like this, I do wonder how I have gone through life without her by my side. We’ve always had a connection, that much I am sure about. I just never understood how deep this connection could go, until I’m in her arms, relieved that she doesn’t believe whatever my crazy ex-girlfriend had to say.

If I had lost Sofia because of a lie… I wouldn’t know how to ever recover from that.

Having lost her once broke me. Losing her again will destroy me.

“By any chance, did you happen to bring some chocolate?”

Sighing deeply in faked defeat, I reach one hand into the pocket of my jacket, pulling out the same kind of chocolate bar she had wanted to buy when she first got to New City in October. “You already know I did, my little ketchup packet.”

After handing it to her, I reach into my pocket one more time, pulling out a pack of tampons. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt getting these too.”

Sofia is quick to turn one of her hands into finger guns, holding them up to my temple. “Any last words before I murder you?”

My jaw drops a little. “Here I thought I was being a great boyfriend and you want to kill me?” Girlfriends these days… can never make them happy. “I do have some last words.”

“Yeah? Better spit them out fast.”

“I lo—” She hits the imaginary trigger.

Alright, I’ll play.

I fall back on her bed, pulling her down with me. The package in my hand falls down to the floor, making for a super dramatic death.

My eyes close and I hold my breath for a whole five seconds before I rip open my eyes again, drawing in a deep breath like I was swimming up after being two whole minutes under water.

“Kidding, didn’t hit me,” I say, clamming my arms around Sofia’s body like some clamshell, not planning on ever letting her go again. “I have a bulletproof brain. It bounced right off.”

She laughs, once again to the point where these cute chubby cheeks start to show.

God, please let this be the last thing I see before I die.